How to seal concrete control joints
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- Опубликовано: 27 ноя 2020
- I am the owner/operator of Slab Rite Concrete Lifting in Draper, Utah. One of the services we offer is sealing the control joints and cracks in concrete slabs. This video shows the technique we use of sealing very wide joints up to 2 1/2" inches using non-sag sealant. You will find our contact info at www.slabrite.com
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12:07 that subtlety of the hand movement when you lifted and drew back a little to have the excess material fall back onto the surface without messing it up all over the place goes to show you're a smart smart person. great clean job.
Been scouring for weeks. There are very few, like maybe this may be the only video, that covers filling a gap over 1”. Thanks.
You are the man for recording like this!! Thank you for such an excellent production for this video. Your skill and know-how help explain how to get the best results!!
Did you know why you really want the foam rod to fill the void ? To have the caulk grab the 2 sides
of the joint not the bottom, why ? For expansion and contraction, you want only the 2 sides moving to be where it stretches. Your first mistake, the caulk will pull away from the sides eventually as is almost always seen on most projects over time. A thin viscosity clear primer(that gets tacky in about 20 min) should be brushed on the sides of the joint. Its thin viscosity over just heavy poor penetrating caulk
will reach deep into the concrete and be soft enough to blend into the caulk for the proper seal and grip to the concrete. The watertight seal in and around that joint will prevent water from working its way to where the caulk alone cannot seal properly. If you dont use this primer, the stretching back and forth of that joint will pull the caulk away. If you don't believe me, just look at application spec sheets on Polycoat,General polymers ,Vulcrom products. We do this on pool decks. This has always been a no brainer to take this step that most people leave out. Another thing. using so many tubes of caulk and then smoothing it out, get self-leveling caulk, pour it in, watch it level so smooth. Bring your tape in closer to the edge of the caulk so its below and not overlapping on top. To expect the caulk to penetrate
into the top layer of cement is not correct. /water soaking into those top layers of cement over and under it , will eventually cause the caulk to detach. You want the caulk snug and below countersunk
to be protected, as I said so 2 sides stretch back and forth only.
It sounds like from your comment you have done this type of work before. You should also know that there are different techniques and products that will yield the same long term results. The product we use is Dowsil Contractors Concrete Sealant. You are more than welcome to look up the installation instructions where you will find it stated in the second paragraph of "Priming" "Primer is not required with concrete, masonry, most glass and most porous substrates." Like you I have been doing this for years and using this specific product for the last 6 years and have never had one call-back for product failure unlike when I used polyurethane based products like you mention. Try Dowsil and I bet you never use those other products again.
if that joint is 2 inchs its junk already aci or icri spec explain all this
You should check out using dymonic semi self levelling caulk for this. It doesn’t need and tooling. It can be applied on gentle slopes as apposed to their self leveling caulk which is only for dead level surfaces. Loved the sand trick
Great video Sir! I have nearly the exact larger gap half way up my driveway and all the wood in my expansion joints are long gone, since this home is a 100+ yr old home. The driveway isn't 100 yrs old, it was put in in roughly in the mid 80's.
Awesome content for many that want to do their own work that don't know how. Simple enough to make it happen on any home with willing people to do the work. Save money and DIY! 🤙
thanks so much for watching and the kind words.
Best video by far on how to create the smooth finish when you can’t use the self leveling product. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Great work! Excellent attention to detail.
Thank you very much!
Before you forget the raised edge you will create when pulling up tape first before any sand is applied,
Pull the tape first, run something down like a thumb with a rubber glove on, and press down raised caulk. You won't have a big mess smearing down the raised edge because you protected the cement with tape. The transition edge of the caulk will flatten out before sand is broadcast into the wet urethane caulk. Self-leveling pour down urethane is much more leveling and penetrating into the concrete for proper adhesion, especially if you prime the cement voids 2 sides for the urethane to blend with and create a superior waterproof bond that won't separate from the cement as most applications on job sites do. This is nothing new, just industry standard by the book. Most people skip the priming of the joint, what do you think primers are for. This is done on roofing plywood deck joints as well.
May I ask, what kind of Cement Primer you would suggest??
I use to use 2 types, one ,single stage Vulkem or Sika , it was clear and fast tacky , or Polycoat 2 component slower drying might have been 230 or 21,its been a while, just call them It was a clear blue (first part and amber for the second part. With all the changes in VOC, not sure what they can sell. Polycoat is based out of Texas. I was in Calif
Call Surface FX inc in Santa Barbara CA talk to Louie or the owner Michael Rattapel owner tell them its for an adhesive primer for the joint seal for urethane caulk
You must not apply caulk until primer is tacky like masking tape, not slimy.
Great job! I have done this type of work before, but never thought of using tape or sand. Thanks for sharing!
I'm glad you found a tip you could put to use.
@𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓘𝓷𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓖𝓾𝔂 ♥ I'm not a tile setter but I would imagine you need to re-grout it. You might need to dig out the old grout first.
Nice work Scott!
Glad you enjoyed it
Great vid! Using this technique on my driveway!
thank you!!
Thanks. Superior presentation.
I came across your video by chance.Iwill be helping my brother to repair his driveway hopefully before this winter.He needs to replace but doesn't have the funds at the moment. The driveway had water get under the slab causing it to lift an sink up to 6 inches. Hope to seal the cracks before any more damage happens. Thanks for the great advice.👍
Beautiful job! We have 222 lineal feet of control joints in a new driveway to seal and it sounds like it isn't cheap to have this done so this video will help me tackle it myself. Thanks!
Good luck!
Fantastic job!! Come to Dallas you do my driveway and many others!
That looks damn good, brother. Nicely done. I'm about to seal new control joints on a freshly poured slab then after they cure, I'll seal the entire slab. Fortunately, the control joints are not as wide as the ones you did but a few are quite deep. I have some backer-rod to fill those deep spots before using a self-leveling control joint selant. Appreciate the video. Have a fine weekend. 👍🏽🤠 03/16/24
Great presentation!! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for watching!
Magnificent work.
Nice work, nice video. Thanks!
Thanks for the visit
Great work. Thanks for the video.
Our pleasure!
Very helpful, and the sand is a brilliant functional & appearance....added touch. Thanks ...
If using conventional hand mixed cement crack filling, the sand added at the end might also help with blending the old & with the new concrete too.
The sand sprinkled on top of a concrete type patch probably won't do anything for you. But give it try and let me know how it works.
Thank you so much for your video.🤗👍
My pleasure 😊
Very nice work. Thank you for sharing
Thank you very much!
Great👌🏻… Tks for sharing, just subscribed 🙏🏻💪🏻🙏🏻
Brilliant idea thank you 👏👏👏🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻
Nice work.
Excellent Brother Great video Thank's for Sharing Very much. God Bless.U.
Glad you enjoyed it
How to take out old calk? Thank you
The Cake Boss would be proud of you!
Just kidding, nice work! I need to do this around my driveway entrance gaps to sidewalk.
Go for it!
Great video, thanks 😊
Thanks for watching!
Impressive concrete tools your using there.
Thank you.
Great stuff! Thanks!!
Glad you liked it!
Mate ... very nice. Clever too.
Thanks 👍
Thanks for posting this helpful video, really helpful!!
Glad it was helpful!
good job man
Looks real nice 👍
Thank you
For erratic cracks that aren't in the control joints, I have used a grinding wheel called a 'crack chaser', it's a vee shaped diamond impregnated wheel 3/8ths or 1/2 inch wide if you prefer, cuts a groove as deep as you need .works great,cuts concrete like butta! It's around $100 for a good quality one. but take time taping to the EDGE as you have, caulk the cut FLAT,no slump, no self leveling caulk, then sand to a Flush finish.I have used play sand which is finer. Add that option into your quotes at $20 / ft ! time consuming but compared to replacing concrete pads,... customers will pay, at least in the East part of the USA ! 8 ft crack start to finish takes about an hour . ( just my 2cents)
We use crack chasers for fissure cracks, just didn't show that is this video. Thanks for watching!
Hey. Good job brother. Dont mind the haters
Thank you.
looks great !!!
Thank you.
Great tutorial video! Too bad I didn't find your video last Saturday, August 07, 2021. Oh my God my forearms, my legs and and hands - every muscle in my body still aches today. I just did my first expansion joint between the garage door entrance and driveway using - I inserted forty feet-(40-ft) of backer rod folded in half to twenty feet-(20-ft), twisted and inserted into the joint, I applied five-(5) thirty ounce-(30 oz.) of the Sika Pro Select Sikaflex®+ Self-Leveling Sealant [Best Before December 2019]. I wish I had that power drill sausage gun adapter! Great idea with the duck tape, playground sand and burger flipper! I just wish our driveway wasn't in such bad shape - nearly 40 year old house.
It definitely has a learning curve but once you get it its not bad. Thank for watching.
Thank you.
great job!
Thanks!
Very efficient indeed.
Thank you
What is the shrinkage rate of the product you are using? All caulking shrinks. Love the sand trick.
This is great! Do you use playground sand on new concrete or is there a lighter silica type sand you'd recommend? I know eventually the concrete with oxidize and weather, but with penetrating sealers and such it could take some time and I am curious how the play sand would look on that light grey/white surface of new concrete? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
With new concrete we don't use any sand or silca. It looks awesome with out.
Good video. You should have shown how you prep the sausage for the sausage gun. I remember the first time I did this type of caulking and I couldn’t figure out how to open it. I would cut the tip and the caulk would go everywhere. Then a more experienced fellow should me just to tap it hard on your steel toe twice and it pops right off. How do you guys do it? Thanks for the tips. I found the last part to be the most useful. Oh and I’d use general construction masking tape rather than duct tape. Less expensive and does the same job.
I just drop the sausage in the tube and cut across the end of it. Thank for watching.
Great work. I didn't know about the sand, do you recommend it in the windows/doors/garage door? And is there just that color of sand?
So glad to find this! I tried to twist 3 3/4 pieces to fill 2x5 inch joint gap replacing the rotten wood.
All your suggestions would have avoided my install fail.
Self leveling sika in 85 degree weather just made the back rod float making a mess.
Any tips on an aggregate driveway which makes leveling choppy?
Thank you!
Richard, we don't have driveways with exposed aggregate here because of all the snow we get, so I have no experience with sealing joints in them. I hope you find something that works for you.
@@dscottgillett thanks Scott for the quick reply. Your tips lead me to a distributor near me that sell Dowsil. (Seattle- Atlas inc)
Cheers!
I have a couple of questions that I haven’t found in other comments. There is so much advice and everyone has a different way of doing this.
Are you using self-leveling sealant? I’m not familiar with all the names of things. And then, why or why not?
My second question is, why did you choose the foam backer instead of spray foam?
I guess I have a third question. 🙂 is it okay in your opinion to use soapy water and your finger to smooth the top? Again, I just see so many techniques, it’s hard to know what is best.
Thank you!
Thanks for watching. The sealant is a non sag sealant not self leveling. Backer rod is made for this application and you don't have to wait for the spray foam to cure. Yes, you could use soapy water and your finger its just not as efficient.
Scott thanks for all the tips! I just did this to my driveway today. Any idea how long it takes to dry? Wondering how long until I can drive on it..
the sealant will take a few hours to skin over and not be sticky to the touch depending on outside temperature and wind. Check it after a few hours if it's not sticky you should be good to go.
I have some questions. Great video by the way. So you should seal the expansion joints and the control joints as well? And correct me if I'm wrong but the expansion joint is the joint that actually cuts all the way through the slab? And the control joints only cut into the slab or sidewalk partially? The control joint doesn't cut all the way through it's only like a 1/4 or so deep into the slab correct?
Hi Scott, Thanks for watching my video. To answer your question if you want to keep water from seeping through the expansion joint its necessary to seal it. The control joints are to hopefully control where the concrete will crack because it will crack and when it does water is able to seep through and possibly cause settling. So you would only need to seal the control joints that have cracked and begun to open up. It will also keep dirt and debris from collecting in the joint and weeds from growing in them.
I came up with the same process on my own about two and 1/2 years ago. However, I don’t use backer rod as a base, I use sand on bottom and on top. If not ever needed duct tape but I did consider using it. Also the grout spatula is a new idea. I use Sika sealant but I will look into the Dow brand also. It looks thicker and easier to work with a trowel lot spatula. Great video. I love UTAH. I lived in Farmiington for 13 years. Now I’m in Pasco, WA.
I've bee to Pasco, Wa. Spent a few days at an RV park there this spring. I really like central WA.
Just curious, does the Sika product you haven't specified actually allow for or recommend contact with damp, wet or wicking organic material and 3 point contact?
Why sand instead of backer rod
Concrete is porous, filler is not. Therefore water gets between, especially above the crack.
Get some latex paint to match the concrete and thin it until it drips out of a brush. Mask around the curve in the joint, and saturate everything beneath. Do not be stingy.
The filler will stick to the paint-sealed concrete much better than raw. Water can not work itself between.
Perfect.
Nice Video. Why dont you use self leveling sealant for the big one?
Genius with the sand! how long does it need to dry before you blow the remaining sand away?
a couple hours is plenty of time
Nive job!
I live in Western NY, and the freeze and thaw of months of winter over the years has made a mess of the concrete slabs in our driveway. As much as I'd love to do this, the slabs are all uneven and trying this would look horrible.
Funds make our awful driveway something we're stuck with, I feel.
Find a reputable concrete lifting company there and ask if they seal joints and cracks as part of their service. They can level up the slab sections and seal the joints for you adding years of life to your concrete.
Yes western new yorkwas brutal to exteriors.The reason i couldn’t afford it because the government found ways to get your money.i have moved away from these tax and spend policies to a more conservative state.
good job
Thanks
I just had a new driveway put in and am looking into sealing and caulking myself.
I like the idea of the tape for the expansion joint. Is it not necessary to use it for the control joints?
Do I need any other forming tools beside the spatula?
Also I plan on using ACT-ATS-22 for the sealer.
Good video Thx
Jeff, we only use tape on joints that have opened up more than 1". We don't use tape on regular control joints. The caulking knives should be all you'll need.
Hi Scott, would you recommend pushing the backer rod to the ground and adding enough to fill the gap until how you have it in the vid?
I was worried about a gap under the backer rod if I didn’t fill the expansion joint.
Hi Richard, No. Do Not Push the backer rod to the dirt. You only want the sealant to be at the most 3/8"-1/2" thick. The gap under the backer rod is not necessary to fill. If you want to fill it, pour some sand into it, but leave enough room for backer rod and sealant.
Can beach sand be used instead of playground sand?
Yes
@@dscottgillett Thanks.
very nice. can we use polymering sand instead of dowseal and just use water to harden. thank you. no mess. thx
you can do that but if there is movement (freeze/thaw cycles) in the adjoining sections the polymeric sand will crack out and not seal the joint or crack. You want to use a product that has elasticity properties.
Awesome 👍
Thanks 🤗
K. Buen. Trabajoooo !!!👍
Gracias
Great info! What would you use to seal between the concrete slab and the foundation wall? I have some space to fill in, but it's too narrow to fill with any backer rod.
if there is not enough space then just use the sealant and tool smooth Dowsil Contractors Concrete Sealant.
Cut small/thin pieces from a pool noodle
My driveway joint is 1'’ wide, but only about 1.5 inch deep because there is a strip of cracked, broken, eroded concrete running along the joint, but covering only 1/2 - 3/4 of the joint bottom width. It is still very intact, not impossible, but very hard to chisel it off.
1- Can I leave it the way it is and cut a pipe insulation foam tube in half to fit? I am concerned about cutting because someone said, “Don't make a hole in it’’ when he showed how to insert the backer rod.
2- You said, ‘’ The sealant has to be ¼’’ thick". Is it measured from the deeper sides of the inserted pipe insulation “backer rod" or from its higher round, middle top?
3- At some spots, the joint edges don't have the same level, up to 1/4- 1/2’’ difference in height. Should I apply the caulk to the same height level of the lower edge or up to the top edge of the higher side?
4- Should I cut the nozzle tip small or big enough to cover the whole 1'’ joint width with sealant
in 1 stroke? I have a 10 oz caulking gun.
I am a senior but have not fixed anything before. With your help, maybe I have enough confidence to do the first project. Thanks in advance.
Hi Scott. I'm wondering if the driveway was recently poured or repaired and resurfaced. It also looks like the slabs were raised with foam prior as well. Those are some huge gaps you're starting with. Also, I'm surprised you didn't fill the gaps in with mortar and grind the necessary gap needed for expansion and contraction. Thanks for the demo. Cheers!
Hi Peter, this job was and RV Parking area on the side of the garage, was original and had not been previously repaired. It was also on the north side of the house so it never gets any sun especially in the winter months. The control joint cracked and then for years it would fill with water freeze and push the concrete sections apart from each other with each freeze/thaw cycle causing the 2 1/2" gap. Filling with mortar is never a good solution in an area with freeze/thaw cycles because you need to keep water from getting in the joints and freezing, which was the problem. Sealing the joint with Dowsil Contractors Concrete Sealant is the best way to prevent further water penetration and still allow for expansion and contraction throughout all 4 seasons. I have been back to this job to see how it held up after the first winter and it looked just like when we finished the job months before. Thanks for watching and taking time to comment.
@@dscottgillett No, thank you for the reply. Good luck!
Great demo and info, however, my concrete to painted - can this product be painted and sealed after?
I don't think it can be painted since its a silicone based sealant. Dowsil does make it in many different colors so you can probably find one that matches close enough or use a contrasting color.
Your tool work nice. But why would you use ccs instead of horizontal sealant? Why not 888 or something traffic grade or made more specificity for s.o.g application?
I'm not sure what the acronyms stand for you are using in your comment(ccs, sog)? The reason we use it is because it works, we have never had a call back because of material failure.
Can you further explain the purpose of the sand you put on top? I’ve never seen anyone else do that so I was curious…
The sand was to help blend the sealant to the concrete color wise. We don't always use sand topping but to help color match we will. I hope this helps.
I do not have a problem with joints but the cracks have crab grass growing out of them. I will use Flex Seal to seal the cracks.
put a wire wheel on a grinder and clean out the cracks from weeds and other debris then seal and the weeds wont grow back through.
Why did you only use sand for the thin cracks but not on the expansion joints?
I have had success with Sika and regular sand. Should I fill the space between garage door and driveway. Thanks.
absolutely. That cold joint is very susceptible to water penetration which can led to the concrete sinking in that area.
Great job! Which Dowsil # are you using?
Dowsil-Contractors Concrete Sealant
This 'Dowsil sealant is now $35.00 per tube for that 20oz. sausage in April 2024 Very pricey. Quadrupled in price in 3+ years....unless you get a much lower price from wholesale supplier.
Nice job though, the Dowsil sealant looks like a very good product and relatively easy to work with, it seems to have a long work time before it starts to set up. I live right near you in Riverton. Have a daughter in Draper.
The price I pay is no where near $35 per sausage. If it was, none of my customers would buy this service from me because it would be too expensive. Thanks for watching.
Excellent work Scott!! Fellow foam lifter here in MN. Good to see pride in your workmanship
How much do you charge to seal doing that method? I use a 8$ bottle of self leveling, but generally not happy with the durability of it. Thanks
Depends on the width of the crack or joint but generally my rates start at $6.00 per lineal foot and go up from there.
Wow I'm ripping myself off with $5.00 with material and cleanout
You have some nice caulk!
You missed the calling as a cake maker, LOL. Those are some nasty expansion joints. Expand they did. Thanks for sharing the techniques.
These joints were on the north side of the home so during the winter the snow an ice pushed the slabs apart from each other. Thanks for watching.
What brand of concrete caulking compound are you using? That would be nice to know. Readers - suggestions? Thanks.
Please re-watch the first 30 seconds of the video where I tell you the material we use.
Nice ...
Thanks
I can’t figure out where to buy the rod or that sealer. I’m in Utah too
Hi Tiffany, You can find backer rod at Home Depot or Lowes in the concrete sections or weather stripping area. The sealant I buy from a wholesaler called Smalley and Company.
How much do you charge per foot to do the wide joints vs the narrower joints?
Ok. It’s been 2 years since you did the caulking job. How does it look in 2024?
I was at this home again last fall to lift their concrete driveway approach and the joint sealing was holding up wonderfully.
Awesome job. Have you tried the Sika self leveling product? If so do you prefer this product over the Sika self leveling product? Thanks
Yes, I have tried Sika Self leveling and non sag. I had a bunch of problems with the non sag bubbling the self leveling is really messy. My material supplier suggested the Dowsil and I have never looked back after 7 years of using it. Thanks for the question and watching the video.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Newborn makes extra wide slickers
I'll check them out, thanks.
nice
Thanks
How much do you charge a linear foot for that repair?
roughly how many of those sausages did it take to do the area in this video? thanks!
Kevin, I don't remember how many it took, sorry. Thanks for watching.
What did you do with the massive cavity under the concrete?
Before we sealed the cracks and control joints we raised and supported the concrete sections level to each other eliminating any trip hazards.
That's not a gap, that's a canal.
Great tips! I need to do this in my shop before I put down a skim coat of something like rapid set NewCrete. Can you skim over those repaired joints to make a smooth surface? I get annoyed with creepers or any small wheeled items getting stuck in those valleys left after the repair.
Thanks in advance.
To be honest I haven't tried putting anything over top of the sealant. With that said, I don't think its a good idea especially since its a silicone based product. You might want to try an epoxy type joint and crack filler for your shop floor to keep the wheeled items rolling smoothly. Good luck.
Question regarding the manual gun vs. Makita gun. I have a full 2 car drive with 2 lanes and the joint in front and along side the garage along the service walk . You mentioned in the video the gun was turned up to highest setting. Would it be possible to do the drive I have and joints along the side of the garage and service walk and between the garage door and driveway slabs with the manual gun. I would like to try this product instead of the Sika this time but just can't find it within my budget to spend ~$350 for gun with battery.
TIA
Yes, you can do it with a manual sausage gun. your forearm may get tried but it is doable. We do so much of it, it just made sense to buy the Makita guns.
@@dscottgillett Understand the difference of doing it 8 hours a day in commercial applications vs DIYer. Thanks again for the reply.
I know this is an old video, I have a question. Could I put this over 1/2" pvc and when done drill holes in it to give me drainage around a pool? The plastic drain channels are broken and a hazard to our feet. Jist wondering...
Sealant should only bond to 2 sides. You will need to use bond breaker tape on top of PVC. Depth of sealant needs to be between 1\4" to 1\2", no more, no less. I wouldn't use a silicone around pool if there will be standing water. I would use a urethane. Look at Deck-o-Seal for a sealant
Does the seal without backer rod hold up as well as those with backer rod? I heard its crucial to use backer rod to ensure the seal doesn't fail...
for normal cracks or control joints that haven't widened backer rod is not necessary. The backer rod is primarily used to take up space in the crack so that you don't use an excessive amount of sealant.
Do you prepare the seams ahead of time? Howndo tou clean them out and do you grind/bevel the edges to get them to match?
Yes we use a wire brush to clean the joints and sometimes a wire wheel on a grinder, then blow them off removing any dirt/debris. As for the edges we lift the concrete to match, that is our primary business "concrete lifting". www.slabrite.com
@@dscottgillettHey,
I'm looking at starting a concrete leveling company here in Colorado. How likely would you say that a one man van operation could earn over 100k? I believe we should have around 280 days of lifting without ground freeze. I'm interested in the HMI foam lifting setup. Any info/tips would be great, thanks!
@@mystyboarder910 You would be doing yourself a favor staying away from the HMI Van set up. Look me up and give me a call.
Dang, there was about a whole tube of caulk in that waste box.
Question, is this merhod preferable to using Polymeric sand? Tx
Yes, there is some waste just like most projects. Polymeric sand will work well if you don't have freeze/thaw cycles where you live. If you live where you have 4 seasons then polymeric sand will open up a crack and let moisture in with the freeze/thaw cycles and eventually break out because it has no elasticity or bonding agents with the concrete.
I have search the web I’m trying to buy the same thing with that you were using. I can find similar dowsil Products but they are at least four dollars more than the price that you gave on your video ouch now I don’t know what to do
Check out "Smalley and Company" for the "Dowsil Contractors Concrete Sealant" we used in the video.
How is last?